Having dealt with acne since I was 14, I’ve learned to accept my defeat when I feel a deep, cystic pimple coming. I know the drill: it simmers beneath my skin for a day or two, comes to the surface a glaring red, painful spot, lives there for up to two weeks, then finally goes away. Unless I got a cortisone shot from my dermatologist, that was my fate. Then, I came across Neutrogena’s genius new Light Therapy Acne Spot Treatment.

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The $20 pen-like device is the portable little sister to the brand’s popular full-face LED mask. You place it on your troubled areas and allow both blue light and red light to blast directly onto skin for two minutes. As much as I wanted to be a skeptic about this, it’s technology that’s long been used in-office by aestheticians and dermatologists.

Neutrogena

“Red [light] reduces inflammation and promotes circulation, improves wound healing and stimulates new collagen and blue [light] destroys acne-causing bacteria and decreases the oil gland production of sebum,” says New York City dermatologist Dr. Robin Gmyrek. Blue light, she explains, when absorbed by a chemical in the body called porphyrin, creates heat that kills P. acnes bacteria and “stuns” the oil gland so it produces less sebum. Meanwhile, red light decreases production of cytokines, which trigger inflammation in oil glands that make skin appear blotchy.

Joanna Vargas, facialist to Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and other celebrities, adds that “LED light has been proven to increase the energy in living tissue, which is why it stimulates collagen production, reduces inflammation and speeds the healing of the body by 300 percent.” She incorporates light therapy into all her clients’ facials and body treatments, no matter their skin type, and claims it also helps encourage collagen and elastin production. “LED light is perfect for sensitive skin,” she says. “It can thicken the skin, strengthen capillary walls to reduce redness and is an anti-inflammatory, so it keeps the skin calm and healthy.”

When I experienced a hormonal chin breakout, I used the spot treatment three times in a day (suggested usage is twice a day): right when I woke up and washed my face, when I got home after work, and right before bed. It was the only new thing I added to my regimen. Like magic, it reduced my typical two-week pimple’s life down to a bearable two days (and I could already see reduction overnight). Even better, I skipped the unsightly part when the pimple becomes a whitehead and instead, the zit just swelled down. When I felt more breakouts starting, I used the light pen right away and saw my pimples visibly diminish.

Although the beauty industry is making strides toward racial inclusivity, it still has a long way to go. And while many beauty brands have realized that equal representation matters, and are extending their product lines to cater toward all skin tones and hair textures, it’s still hard to find one place to buy everything you need.

Enter Marjani Beauty, a new e-commerce shopping site created by founder and CEO Kimberly Smith. Consider it a one-stop shop for all women of color, carrying black-owned beauty brands such as AJ Crimson, Gold Label, Christal Cosmetics, and more. Finally—a site curated specifically to meet your hair, makeup, and skin-care needs and keep your #BlackGirlMagic at an all-time high.

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“This company was born from the desire of our founders to create a space and platform where the collective diversity of women of color is celebrated,” Smith says on the website. “There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to women of color’s hair, skin and cosmetic needs. As women of color, we are constantly breaking the mirrored vanity when it comes to the ‘ideal standards’ of beauty. All the while, mass market brands fail to keep up or even attempt to fulfill our diverse needs.”

So, if you still haven’t found the right foundation for you (Marjani Beauty has a try-it-before-you-buy-it program!) or copped a cleanser that’ll nix your hyperpigmentation, deem this site a haven of melanin-friendly products.

We’ve seen platinum, rosé, blorange, and every other color on the spectrum, but what about red ombre? Not strawberry blonde or a natural, Jessica Chastain auburn, but head-turning scarlet rouge. Here, see pinkish-red curls, fire emoji fades, and reverse dye jobs where red transitions downward into black tips.

Madonna is bringing her skincare line, MDNA Skin, to the United States next month.

In a new interview, Madonna reveals the move is due to Stateside demand: “I’m tired of hearing people complain here that they can’t get it in America.”

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The singer also plans to create products that are “connected more to color,” and expand her line to men’s grooming. With these new inclusions, Madonna insists that MDNA is a line for every day and every person.

“It’s a line I can use every day,” she says. “Some things I use when I don’t wear makeup and am not doing shows, and others are specifically good for having to apply makeup and be on stage under lights.…I developed it for me specifically, but it also feels universal. I mean, my children use it, my friends use it.”

A Madonna favorite from the collection? The Eye Mask, which helps tighten and wake up the eye area. “I throw them in the freezer so they are icy cold. I sleep on my face so when I wake up my eyes are always puffy so I really need them,” she explains. “I put them on for a couple of minutes before I get out of bed. As they thaw out on your face, the ice aspect reduces inflammation and the serum has the hyaluronic acid in it. These are simple things. You can get on with your day and use them all.”

Kardashian West quickly jumped to Star’s defense on Snapchat, saying, “I do believe in people changing and people that apologize, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and accept you know, that people change and move on. And I know better than anyone that I hate when people bring up my past or mistakes I’ve made in the past. So let him live.”

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Kardashian West’s justification of Star’s hateful past didn’t sit well with her followers, so she issued a reductive knee-jerk apology citing naiveté. “So I really wanted to apologize to you guys and my fans for defending a situation yesterday that I really didn’t know enough about,” she said. “I just feel a bit naïve, and I do want to really apologize for me feeling like I had the right to say ‘get over it’ in a situation that involves racism.”

Star, who apologized last year for his hateful comments, deflected this time to the current political climate rather than accepting responsibility.

For those who need a reminder of why Star’s hateful rhetoric cannot be dismissed with a quick tweet, Desus and Mero shared “Jeffree Star’s racist mixtape, his best of.”

We’ve always said that if OUAI haircare products came in perfume form, we’d bathe in them.

So you can imagine our excitement when celebrity hairdresser and brand founder Jen Atkin took to Instagram recently to give us a look at the first OUAI perfume set.

The best part? There isn’t just one, but three fragrances to choose from.

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ALL of the YAS.

Jen, who has tended to the tresses of the Kardashian-Jenners, Gigi Hadid and Gwen Stefani, to name but a few celebs, always receives compliments on the miracle results of her luxe hair product range. But it’s the ‘what perfume are you wearing’ level smell that fans and beauty-obsessives swoon over the most. Which means it was a total no brainer for A-list hair stylist to branch out into the world of perfume.

So, what can we expect? Well, Jen and the OUAI crew listened to their huge following, and according to the brand, the perfumes smell exactly the same as a handful of signature OUAI scents. Inspired by fine French fragrances, Hawaii (where Jen grew up) and the Middle East, where she travels regularly for work, the set contains three perfumes.

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A dream team of Italian lemon, Turkish rose, jasmine and white musk make up the first scent, No. 1, which you can find in OUAI’s Curl, Repair, Volume and Smooth shampoo collections.

Floral, but minus the granny vibes, the second perfume takes notes from scent No.4, found in Jen’s original Hair Oil, Memory Mist and frizz-fighting Finishing Creme.

And last but not least, the third perfume dons the smell of the legendary Rose Hair and Body Oil – a seriously seductive composition of rose, lychee, bergamot and cedar-wood.

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Staying true to the OUAI brand, each perfume comes complete with a roller-ball for application and Atkin’s signature minimalist glass bottles and sleek white lids. The best bit? Each perfume is a sneaky mini 10ml so we can slip all three into our hand luggage. Because we deserve to smell this good all the time.

Even though the $42 perfume trio is a limited edition launch, with the USA getting first dibs, OUAI reassured fans that they are working hard to bring them to the UK.

In the meantime, sign up to the waiting list for more news, make room on your dressing table and sharpen those elbows…

Nothing gives you the urge to update your look like change—whether it’s a new season, new job, or new baby. Margaux O’Brien needed a new hairstyle to go with her new mom lifestyle. “Motherhood has brought me a lot of joy, but I don’t have as much time to spend on my beauty routine as I used to,” she says. “If I had hair color that was striking and bold and strong, I’d feel a lot more empowered.” To streamline and supercharge her look, O’Brien used Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme in #535 Chocolate Caramel, which took her blonde hair to a rich mahogany brown—and paired it with a modern lob and a new outfit. Watch the transformation unfold.

4. Blend! “Now that I’ve sprayed [sponge], [it’s] just like a regular sponge that you would use … just to kind of make everything blendable,” Kim explains.

5. Set your foundation. “I like to take the sponge and put powder on it, just to kind of set too,” she adds. “Then I use this other little brush.”

6. Swipe on your contour but be “delicate” with the application. “I’m using the medium stick and this is the highlight,” she says. She also warned her fans that because the formula is so creamy, you have to be really delicate when you apply it. She swipes the darker side of the contour along her cheekbones, then traces the perimeter of her face using vertical lines and lines her jawline, creating “3” formations on her face. Then, she draws two lines down both sides of her nose from her brows and applies some contour on the tip of her nose. Finally, she uses the lighter side of the contour pen to line under her eyes.

Instagram, @KimKardashian

7. Blend some more. She uses the brush end of her applicator tool to blend it all in. “It’s super creamy, super blendable … See how nice that is?” she asks. She also notes that she likes her forehead a little darker, so she doesn’t blend as much, so it pops. “I also love blending the color into my hairline because I just think the color looks super natural,” she adds.

She also likes her nose a little more sculpted so she uses the sponge side to subtly blend in the contour.

8. Make your look #lit. Then she uses the matte side of the highlighter and pops that between her brows in vertical lines, down the bridge of her nose, over her Cupid’s bow, above her cheekbones, and on the inner corner of her eyes. Then she blends with her sponge applicator.

9. Use the lighter contour side as a lip liner. “And then I get a lipstick and a blush … Milani? I don’t know, I got it in a drugstore … it’s just a light pinky,” she says. She then applies her blush using a fluffy brush atop her cheekbones and then can’t find a lipstick, so she resorts to a light shade of foundation for a “super matte look.”

Instagram, @KimKardashian

Finally, she asks fans if they can see the glow and the blend. TBH, she looks effing stunning and at this point I’m ready to buy the whole damn kit.

Kim’s After:

Instagram, @kimkardashian

She signs off by saying, “All right, guys …that’s just a quick little situation to show you guys how to do it in two minutes.” Again, it wasn’t two minutes, it was about 12, but I get how it could take a minimal amount of time had she not been explaining it, as it seems she has this how-to down pat.

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She wraps up the tutorial by telling you what she used (the medium highlight and contour kit) and also reassures you that contour isn’t a scary step in your makeup routine, saying, “[Contour] is not scary, it can be so easy and just fun to do. So that’s why I made these kits just, to show you guys it’s just so easy.”

Here’s another shot of her final look:

Finally, she puts the how-to to bed, wishing her fans a nice night while wearing the cute little cat ear filter, because everyone looks flawless AF in those filters. “Goodnight, guys,” she says.

This year is shaping up to be Margot Robbie‘s best one yet–and that’s saying a lot, considering the 26-year-old actress already has films like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short under her belt. Besides starring in summer blockbusters Suicide Squad and The Legend of Tarzan, she’s also the face of Calvin Klein’s fragrance, Deep Euphoria. “It’s genuinely the one I wear,” she said, of the modern scent.

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Margot’s perfume IQ has risen significantly since she was gifted her first fragrance as a kid: “I remember it said Eau de Toilette and I thought my mum had given me toilet spray and I was like, why did she do that?”

Take three products out of your make-up bag–what are they and why have they earned a place in there?

Also, Caudalie facial mist—it’s the nicest smell. And then my lip balm, I use Bepanthen, which is actually a nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers or diaper rash cream for babies. I have a conspiracy theory that lip balms actually have additives in them to dry your lips out so you keep buying them. But because Bepanthen is just a cream for dry skin, it works. It’s what I’ve used my whole life.

What is the best beauty tip you’ve ever learned, and who was it from?

My friend taught me this trick that I use it every day. When I put on foundation, I use an eyebrow brush or toothbrush to brush it into my hairline so that it all blends. Especially because I have blonde hair but tanned skin, if I don’t blend it, it looks gross—you can see the foundation in my hair.

I do that every single day, and every time my husband [Tom Ackerley] is like, “What are you doing?” And I say, “I’m brushing my make-up into my hairline!” And he’s like, “Girls are crazy.”

If you have a photoshoot/TV appearance tomorrow, how do you prepare your skin?

For photoshoots, I don’t even worry anymore because with photoshop these days if I wake up with a massive pimple I’m like, they’re gonna airbrush it out, it doesn’t matter. I get more scared when I’m filming.

If I eat or drink heaps of dairy, my skin breaks out. I love dairy and I have it all the time but if I’m filming or if my skin is really shit, then I try to cut down and just drink lots of water. But I pretend cheese isn’t dairy because I will never accept that I can’t have it. I love it.

What was the last song you downloaded?

I’ve been listening obsessively to ‘Lemonade’, especially that song ‘Hold Up’. It has that reggae vibe I’m really into.

What was the last thing you Googled?

This is such a good question! Let me check my phone…Last thing I Googled was a map of Hungary. I’m working in Budapest and I was trying to figure out what the bordering countries were and if I could do any weekend trips. I was very happy to see Croatia was so close by, because I had the best time of my life there.

What would your last meal on earth be?

Cheese, cheese, cheese. Or a burger. I adore burgers. Probably it would be the truffle burger from Umami and a really nice IPA, like a German wheat beer.

What three words that best describe your fitness philosophy:

Reluctant, fun and sporadic. My version of exercising is going to do a dance class you go with a friend. It’s really fun and it’s exercise at the same time.

Who or what never fails to make you laugh?

Jay Hernandez, who plays Diablo in Suicide Squad. Out of everyone I’ve ever worked with he is the funniest f*cking guy in the whole world. He just does dad jokes the whole time but I am like his key audience.

I just like pee myself laughing. He doesn’t do comedy and his character is really serious so no one knows how funny he is. I’m like, you should do SNL!

What would your career plan B have been?

When I was little I wanted to own hotels. I’m certain I would have started some sort of company [if I hadn’t gone into acting] because I think I am quite business-savvy. So either owning hotels, or being a scuba diving instructor or sky-diving instructor. Some sort of instructor where I could live somewhere cool and do something fun every day.

According to Allure, a group of scientist at the University of California are working on a vaccine to treat acne. The project’s lead researcher, Eric C. Huang, explained that it’s a tricky thing to do, which is why it’s taken so long to come up with an effective treatment: “Acne is caused, in part, by P. acnes bacteria that are with you your whole life — and we couldn’t create a vaccine for the bacteria because, in some ways, P. acnes are good for you. But we found an antibody to a toxic protein that P. acnes bacteria secrete on skin — the protein is associated with the inflammation that leads to acne.”

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The next step is trying out the vaccine on real patients in clinical trials, which could take one to two years. After that, spot-free skin could really be ours.